[AMERICANS ABROAD] Fulham, the English Premier League’s Yankee team with five Americans in its ranks, kept hopes alive of avoiding relegation with a 3-2 win at Manchester City. Marcus Hahnemann made three key saves for Reading as it mustered a scoreless tie against Wigan to remain one point above the relegation zone.
Category: Soccer America Daily
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Sigi Schmid aims for 100th win
[MAKING A LIST] Columbus coach Sigi Schmid can celebrate his 100th MLS win if the Crew beats Houston on Saturday. Schmid, 55, collected 79 of his wins while at the helm of the Los Angeles Galaxy, with which he won the 2002 title, in 1999-2004. He would become the second coach, after Bob Bradley to hit the century mark. For a list of Top 10 MLS coach win leaders …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
International Weekend TV Schedule
Saturday’s Manchester United-Chelsea — a potential preview of the UEFA Champions League final — should decide the English Premier League race. The races in Spain, Italy and Germany could be decided this weekend. Real Madrid will wrap up its 31st Spanish league title if it beats Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday and both Villarreal and Barcelona fail to win their games this weekend. Inter Milan will retain its Italian Serie A title if it beats Cagliari Sunday and second-place Roma loses at home to Torino. Bayern Munich can clinch its 21st German championship if Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 lose on Saturday and it then wins at home to VfB Stuttgart on Sunday. For all the weekend international action on television …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
UEFA Cup semifinals end in ties
UEFA Cup favorite Bayern Munich was held to a 1-1 draw by Russia’s Zenit St. Petersburg at home in the home leg of their semifinal on Thursday. In the other semifinal, Rangers and Fiorentina played to a 0-0 tie in Glasgow.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. women kick off tour against Australia
[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] The U.S. women’s national team plays its first game since the Concacaf qualifying tournament when it hosts Australia on Sunday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. For the 25-player U.S. roster …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“My suggestion is that the judge get a pair of scissors, cut the thing in half and give half to each. It’s certainly not anything that we would ever want to have happen and certainly not anything that David [Beckham] or any of our players who hand out jerseys would have intended.”
— Los Angeles Galaxy President Alexi Lalas upon learning that the parents of two boys have hired lawyers and threatened lawsuits in a battle over the jersey David Beckham gave one of the boys after the Galaxy’s game in Honolulu in February. The two boys, friends ages 9 and 10, brought a sign greeting Beckham to Aloha Stadium. Beckham gave his shirt to the 9-year-old, but parents of the 10-year-old say he deserves it because he held the sign the entire game. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS TV SCHEDULE
East leader Kansas City starts a six-game road trip at Toronto. Winless defending champ Houston travels to Columbus, which has three wins in four games. D.C. United aims to avenge the 4-0 pummeling it got from Real Salt Lake two weeks ago. Two of the league’s top playmakers clash when the Fire’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Colorado’s Christian Gomez meet in Chicago. Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy take identical 1-2-1 records into the So Cal derby. On Sunday, New York hosts San Jose with each team aiming for its second win of the season. For all the weekend’s MLS action on TV. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Purge in Bulgaria
[REF WATCH] Referee Angel Bekyarov, despite offering to take a lie detector test to prove his impartiality, was among six officials suspended by the Bulgarian soccer federation for mistakes and poor fitness. Bekyarov had been accused of by Litex players of favoring their Beroe foes in a 1-1 tie.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
No booze but shake your ‘popsch’
[OFF THE POST] Vienna-based voice coach Ingrid Amon is offering cheering lessons to Austrian fans ahead of the European Championship, because she warns that improper screaming can cause voice loss – and even permanent vocal chord damage. She says fans should avoid alcohol and caffeine, and, apparently unaware that Austrian fans rarely have something to cheer about, says they should take “quiet breaks” during the game. She also recommends body movement while screaming: “Shaking your popsch [booty] helps the most.”
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Undermanned Revs go deep to beat Dallas
[MLS] As showcases of brilliant soccer go, it wasn’t much, yet New England’s 1-0 victory that knocked FC Dallas off its unbeaten perch at Pizza Hut Park Thursday night typified how a depleted team that knows how to win can beat a stronger team lacking such clarity.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“They hit me with a camera!”
— Diego Maradona during a melee while leaving a Buenos Aires courthouse following an arbitration hearing with his former agent, Guillermo Coppola. Maradona threw a wild punch and yelled insults at television reporters who crowded him. (AP)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Measles risk in Switzerland
[EURO 2008] Switzerland’s Federal Health Office spokesman Jean-Louis Zurcher said fans coming to this summer’s European Championship, which the Swiss are co-hosting with Austria, should check their vaccination status. A measles epidemic has plagued Switzerland for more than a year.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
D.C. and Quakes boost their frontlines
D.C. United has signed former Red Bull striker Francis Doe and a San Jose deal to acquire former Rapids and MetroStars striker Jean-Philippe Peguero could be completed by Thursday as the Quakes seek to beef up their front line.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Libertadores Cup Schedule
The 2008 Libertadores Cup, the South American club championship, moves into the second round next Wednesday with the first leg of the second round. Brazil and Argentina lead all countries with five teams each in the 16-team second round. Club America and Atlas of Mexico also advanced. Guadalajara was the only Mexican to fail to reach the final 16. For the second-round schedule and first-round standings …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Clarifying the remarks of Kinnear
Before the Wizards use the comments of Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear to fire up their team and specifically Claudio Lopez, it should be pointed out that he made those remarks strictly in reference to how difficult it can be for a player, any player, to cut it in MLS.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Post-Wynalda ESPN2 getting into its stride
[TV REVIEW] Less than a month into the regular seasons, MLS teams are far from the finished product, as coaches juggle players and alter tactics to find the right formula. Last year, a lot of juggling took place with the broadcast teams selected by ESPN2 for its MLS telecasts. Some games featured on-site hosts, some didn’t, several sideline reporters were used, and from the third week of the season the cable system used a three-man crew in the broadcast booth.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Saprissa strikes late to tie Pachuca
[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP] A goal by Victor Cordero in the waning minutes earned Costa Rica’s Saprissa a 1-1 tie with Mexico’s Pachuca in the first leg of the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup, in which U.S. entrants D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo fell in the semifinals.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS TV SCHEDULE: Undefeated FC Dallas meets Revs Thursday
FC Dallas, MLS’s only undefeated team (with two wins and a pair of ties), hosts last year’s runner-up, New England, on ESPN2’s Thursday night broadcast. FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper has already matched his 2007 scoring output of four goals and is second behind the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan (5 goals) on the leading scorer’s list. Cooper, 23, was limited to 14 games because of injury in 2007 after scoring 11 times in 31 games in 2006. New England (2-2-1) will aim to avoid a slipping under the .500 as it enters the game missing half its starters, including injured veterans Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston, and Sainey Nyassi, who leads the team with two goals but suffered a groin injury. For all the week’s MLS action on TV. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Man. United’s Ferguson backs Cristiano Ronaldo after miss
[REACTION] Cristiano Ronaldo‘s missed penalty kick in the third minute cost Manchester United a chance to escape from Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium with a victory, but United manager Alex Ferguson praised the young Portuguese star after Wednesday’s 0-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal series.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Soccer Job Openings
[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions, They include college coaching opportunities, as well as opportunities in pro soccer, youth soccer, the soccer industry and television.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Soccer Development Academy Results
The Michigan Wolves, the only remaining unbeaten team in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s U/15-16 Group, lost for the first time in 12 games when they fell to the CASL Elite, 3-2, on Sunday. The only unbeaten teams in the U/17-18 Group are the New York Red Bulls and U.S. youth national team. For all the weekend U.S. Soccer Development Academy results and goal scorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Liverpool’s Benitez unhappy with refereeing
[REACTION] Chelsea moved one step closer to reaching the UEFA Champions League final in Moscow, the hometown of its Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, thanks to a 1-1 tie at Liverpool Tuesday achieved on an own goal by Norwegian John Arne Riise in the 95th minute.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“Luxemburgo distrusts a big club like Sao Paulo and it means he also distrusts me. But how am I going to spray gas at myself? It was a very serious incident. If I had been trying to pull a fast one, then I would have taken the team off the field at halftime and abandoned the game. I hope he regrets his comments.”
— Sao Paulo coach Muricy Ramalho responds to insinuations from Palmeiras coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo that Ramalho was responsible for the mysterious gas that forced Sao Paulo players to flee their locker room at halftime of their game at Palmeiras’ stadium. Luxemburgo was implying that it was a ploy by Sao Paulo to discredit Palmeiras’s stadium. The unidentified substance had caused irritation to their eyes and nostrils. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Futures of Barca Fantasticos Ronaldinho, Henry and Eto’o in doubt
[IN THE SPOTLIGHT] Barcelona’s semifinal series against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League, which begins Wednesday (TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, live, 2:30 pm ET) in Barcelona, will go a long way toward deciding the makeup of the team going forward. Barca touted its “Four Fantasticos” — Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi — but its domestic troubles are so severe that three of them — Ronaldinho, Henry and Eto’o — are rumored to possibly be leaving Barcelona.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Galaxy still best draw; League scoring increase
[MLS] The Los Angeles Galaxy, which has led the league in attendance in the previous five seasons and in eight of its first 12 seasons, is again the top crowd draw after one month of 2008 play. Leaguewide attendance (15,011) is slightly down from this point last season (15,487). 2007 leaguewide average attendance at season’s end was 16,770. Goalscoring in 2008 is up significantly from last season at this point: 2.93 per game compared to 2.27 in 2007. The scoring per game average at the end of the 2007 season was 2.66. For MLS attendance figures and team-by-team scoring …